Take Care of You
by Open Casket Ceremony
Summary: Horohoro leads the school's meanest and most popular group...and their favorite target is Tao Ren, a lonely and shy boy. What happens when Horohoro suddenly finds himself falling for the very boy he loves to torment? Of course, Hao can't let that happen.
1. Social Pyramids

As you know, in the high school hierarchy, each social class is worlds apart from the others. This is exactly what things are like at the high school Horohoro and his friends attended.

There was a small gang - the most popular bunch in the school. This group consisted of Yoh, Hao, Lyserg, Chocolove, Anna, Pirika, Jeanne, Tamao, and the group's leader, Horohoro. They were what everyone wanted to be. Smart, athletic, popular, and good-looking. They looked down on all groups they believed were below them, and Horohoro found nothing more amusing than making life for the unpopular a living hell.

Consider Tao Ren. A slender boy with deeply colored purple-black hair. He had a reasonably good-looking face, with his keen golden eyes. Ren had the potential to be popular, but he chose not to. The boy had no friends whatsoever, because of his shyness and his reluctance to interact with his fellow students. He rarely spoke at all, and he didn't care for social events or fun. Ren was a straight-A student, and he recieved top grades in all his classes. These reasons, all put together, was why Horohoro and his gang loved to torment him so much. This day was no different.

The bell had already rang, and Ren was eager to get to his class in time. He was walking at a fast pace, with downcast eyes, not daring to look at anyone. He felt comforted this way, like he was invisible, and protected from the outside world.

Without warning, the boy felt a hand grab his collar and slam him into the wall of lockers. He yelped in surprise and pain, but despite the cruel ambush, he refused to look at his attacker. He already knew who it was, anyways. Who else could it be? Who else loved to torture him, to make him miserable, and to physically and mentally harm him?

Laughter echoed around from the gang and some passerbys. Horohoro grinned smugly. "Good morning, Tao," he smirked. "How's life as my favorite little punching bag going?"

Ren looked away and remained silent. Yoh found this very funny. He started cracking up.

"Filthy worm," Horohoro laughed, releasing the boy. "Are you so stupid that you don't even know how to talk?" The group enclosed Ren in a circle, trapping him.

"Leave me alone, Usui," he whispered.

The gang guffawed. "Did you hear that?" sniggered Chocolove. "The little nerdling's trying to cop an attitude. We'll teach you to talk back to us, pointy-headed freak."

Ren gasped as Chocolove's foot made contact with the side of his ribcage. "No...I just...please leave me alone..." he whimpered.

"Good one, Choco!" Yoh laughed. "You show that little brat!"

Ren squeezed his eyes shut as Yoh kicked him in the stomach. He staggered back and coughed, collapsing and sinking to his knees. Tears welled in his eyes.

"Awww...are you going to cry?" Ren looked up as Anna grabbed him by the hair and gave him one of her hard, infamous bitch-slaps. "You disgust me," she snapped.

This recieved more laughter. Yoh chuckled and handed Anna some hand sanitizer. "Aww, Anna, ladies shouldn't get their hands dirty by touching filth like him," he laughed.

Anna smirked. "You're right." She rubbed the sanitizer onto her hands. "I can't believe I touched the dirty little rat."

Hao reached down and grabbed Ren's scarf. "This is an awful nice scarf you have, Tao," he said cheerfully. "Too bad it's wasted by being worn around your scrawny little neck." He gave the scarf a hard jerk. Ren choked. He couldn't breathe as the scarf tightened severely around his throat. He gasped for air as Lyserg removed the scarf.

Jeanne smiled serenely. "There's no hope for him. He's to filthy to be able to recieve eternal blessing after death."

Horohoro laughed as Lyserg handed him the scarf. "We're not through with you yet," he smirked. He grabbed the defenselss boy's arms and pinned them behind his back. Ren struggled uselessly as Horohoro blindfolded him with the scarf. He kicked him hard in the stomach, earning a cry of pain.

"Worthless bitch," Horohoro hissed in his ear. "You are nothing." He twisted Ren's arm behind his back roughly. Ren yelped, which encouraged the Ainu to wrench it harder. The boy cried out in pain as Horohoro threw him back onto the floor.

"Let's go, guys," he said, swaggering away. "See you later," they laughed, leaving Ren to lie defenseless and still blindfolded on the ground. The boy huddled into the corner, ignoring the bell as it rang, signifying he was late. He didn't care anymore, he just wished that they would stop hurting him.

He crawled away and sought safety behind a small cart of textbooks. It was a good spot, and no one would be able to see him. Other than the fact that the area was littered with shards of broken glass from where students had hidden empty beer bottles, it was relatively confortable. He hugged his knees to his chest and waited, singing softly to himself to try and make the emotional pain dissolve.

_"itsuka otozureru jouku metsu no toki  
shitte ita ka no you ni mukae  
subete o dashi tsuku shita sono nochi  
mae e to taore you..."_

He let out a long sigh before picking up one of the glass shards. He rolled up his left sleeve, clutching the sharp object in his right. He slowly made a thin vertical cut across his wrist, watching as the blood trickled out. It hurt terribly. Ignoring the pain. he made another cut. It was a trick he had learned from his sister. The pain would be enough to take your mind off things, but if you cut vertically, you wouldn't die. Sighing again, he tossed the glass aside and rolled his sleeve back down to conceal the fresh wounds.

He slowly made his way out from the hiding place and stumbled down the hall. At that moment, the bell rang, signifying that class was over. Great. Another session of time that Horohoro and his gang could use to torment him. They would never miss the oppurtunity.

Ren's prediction was right. Horohoro and company approached him, and he shamefully looked away. Then he did nothing but let them insult him and continue to cruelly beat him.


	2. Trash

The next day was no different. Ren made a point to try to stay as far away from them as possible, taking the less-used routes through the school. It was no use, however, as they found him again.

They beat him senseless, entirely knocking him out. Horohoro had repeatedly slammed his head into the lockers, and the cruel abuse had taken its toll after about 15 minutes straight doing that. The gang laughed as Ren slumped limply to the floor, unconcious.

Horohoro strode over to his lifeless form and reached into his pocket. He withdrew the boy's wallet and thumbed through it. "Hmmm...Not bad," he commented as he put Ren's wallet in his own pocket. "There's enough money in there for me to buy a new snowboard."

Tamao was usually a shy girl. However, before Yoh had noticed her and made her part of the group, she had been even shyer, and she hadn't been very popular, either. She felt a horrible sense of guilt. Someone like the old her, suffering merely because he didn't normally defend himself. And she stood, watched, and tried to laugh along with her friends. She couldn't bear to watch anymore.

"Th-that's not yours!" she blurted. "Put it back!"

Horohoro raised an eyebrow. "Who said that?" he asked dangerously.

Tamao glared at him. She wasn't afraid, and for once, she decided, that she could not back down.

"Leave him alone!" she snapped. "What has he ever done to you? What makes you think you can act all high and mighty and hit him so much that you knock him out? And then take his money? Usui Horohoro, you think you're so cool because you have a big gang and everyone looks up to you, but you're nothing more than a concieted, heartless jerk!"

Pirika nodded slowly. "I don't like her talking about onii-chan like that...but she's right..."

Horohoro narrowed his eyes.

You've got guts, Tamamura," he growled, approaching her. "What has he done to me? Why do I hit him? Because he exists. His presence annoys me, and that look he gives me every time we get near, like we're the evildoers...rubbish like him should be annihalated. And trying to defend rubbish...makes you one of them."

He slapped Tamao hard across the face. The pink-haired girl squeaked in pain and clutched her cheek, looking at Horohoro fearfully.

"You make me sick," he hissed, raising his hand for another blow.

"Onii-chan!" Pirika protested. "Stop it!"

"Yeah, Usui," Yoh agreed, stepping in front of Tamao. "Just let her off this once. She might be wrong about things, but it's OK to have an opinion, right?"

"You're all full of bull," Horohoro scoffed. "But if you insist, I'll let it slip." He glared back at Tamao. "Your first, last, and only warning," he said. "Next time, and you'll end up like him." He kicked Ren's limp body.

Ren opened one eye and glanced pitifully at Horohoro. His glare softened, and to his eternal shame, the Ainu felt pity for the very boy he loved to physically harm. He looked so helpless and innocent, and Horohoro realized that there was truth to what Tamao had been saying. He hadn't done anything to deserve their scorn or their abuse.

He refused to admit his feelings, and instead, kicked Ren hard in the ribs. He winced as Ren cried out in pain. "Don't you dare look at me, you filthy little nerd," he hissed.

"C'mon, guys," he muttered. "Let's not waste our time here anymore."

They stalked off, leaving Ren on the floor. Slowly, he slipped back out of conciousness, and everything was black.

He opened his eyes to find himself in Doctor Faust's office, the school's medical facility.

He moaned softly and rubbed his still throbbing head. Sighing, he let himself become swallowed with shame. A Tao would never be so cowardly to some school bullies. But Ren didn't know what to do. He couldn't defend himself, he couldn't fight back...

That day, when the boy went home, he went straight to his room and locked himself in, trying the trick again with the blade from the kwan dao his father had given him years before.


	3. Eyes and Emotions

The next day was no better, but Yoh found it very strange that Horohoro purposely did not go after Ren before school like he usually would.

In Science class, sides began clashing.

"Alright, class," the teacher announced. "Today you will be completing a partner assignment. Your assignment will be to observe your partner's eyes and write down signifigant traights, such as hue, shape, size, emotion, and etcetra. I will be assigning you your partners."

There was a loud groan of protest as the teacher began reading off names from a list.

"Pair 1 - Asakura Yoh and Asakura Hao."

"Pair 2 - Lyserg Diethel and Chocolove McDaniel."

"Pair 3 - Tamamura Tamao and Usui Pirika."

"Pair 5 - Kyouyama Anna and Miss Jeanne."

After a few more pairs, Horohoro yawned. He was pretty irritated that he'd end up with some stupid random unpopular person.

"Pair 10 - Usui Horohoro...and Tao Ren."

"EHHH!?" Horohoro blurted. "ME!? You want _me_ to work with that scrawny little geek?"

Ren looked up at the sound of his name, and his eyes widened fearfully when it dawned upon him that his partner was the very boy he feared the most. There was no way to reverse it. He was done for.

"You may now get with your partners to begin," announced the teacher.

Ren looked away as Horohoro swaggered towards him, carrying his binder. "So..." he said. "I'm going to have a lot of _fun_ doing this project with you." Deliberately, he brought the binder slamming down onto Ren's hands.

Ren gasped and withdrew his hands and nursed them under his desk, bowing his head in shame.

"Look at me when I speak to you, Tao. It's common respect," Horohoro commented icily, the tone complimenting his shamanic element fairly well.

Trembling, Ren slowly began to lift his gaze. "I...I'm sorry..." he stuttered. Horohoro wasn't a very patient guy, and Ren's slow, timid movements were beginning to get on his nerves.

"I said, _look at me_," Horohoro growled, viciously grabbing Ren's face in his hands and jerking it upwards, forcing the boy to look at him eye-to-eye. "That's better," he hissed. "You will do as I say. Do you understand?"

Ren did not reply. He tried to look away, despite the fact that Horohoro had his face in a death grip.

"I asked you if you understood," the Ainu repeated in a menacing voice. "And you'll answer me." He grabbed Ren's wrist tightly, with enough force to bruise the delicate flesh. Ren cried out, and Horohoro noticed this as he was about to twist it behind his victim's back. He stopped, however, when by Ren's tone, he could tell that it hurt more than it should have.

"Don't you dare move," he commanded as he lifted Ren's arm higher. Slowly, dreading what he might see, he began rolling up Ren's long sleeves.

"No..." Ren whispered, trying to pull his hand free. "Please...please don't do that..."

"I said, _don't mov_e" Horohoro snapped, kicking him in the shins. Ren stopped struggling and looked away as his tormenter continued to roll the sleeves upwards, revealing the long vertical scars, some of which were not completely healed yet.

Horohoro inhaled sharply, shocked. He felt awful. It was probably all his fault the boy cut himself. He refused to admit his pity, again. Instead he slammed Ren's arm hard back onto the desk. "Turning emo, are we?" he sneered. "You'd better not kill yourself before this assignment is over. Once it is, I'll be more than happy to put you out of your misery."

Ren looked wide-eyed at him.

Horohoro glared back, and when he saw Ren's fearful eyes, he suddenly remembered.

"Well," he grunted, taking out a piece of paper and a ratty pencil. "Let's get started, shall we?" There was an akward silence as they stared at each other's eyes, trying to figure out color, emotions, and whatnot.

With his usual messy handwriting, Horohoro began scrawling away. He wrote:

_Yellow color._

He crossed out yellow, with a second thought and rewrote it.

_Golden color._

He then proceeded to continue his observation list.

_Golden color.  
Emotions: Pain, fear, shyness  
Sort of slanty-shaped  
Eyes are kind of pretty. Very attractive. I could look at them all day._

He reviewed his list, horrified at the last segment. He fiercely scribbled the last line out, shaking his head and mentally whacking himself. "Usui Horohoro, you're an idiot. I repeat, Usui Horohoro, you're an idiot. I hate nerds, I hate midgets, I hate Tao Ren..." he screamed in his mind.

He looked over to Ren's paper to see what he was writing. In small, neat, immaculate handwriting, he had carefully written such:

_His eyes are a very deep shade of cerulean.  
They're roundly shaped and rather large.  
I can see so much emotion in them. I see aggression, cruelty, and arrogance, but deep behind, if I concentrate hard enough, I think I can see some kindness, too. But above all, what I can see most is confusion._

"Clever bastard," Horohoro responded. "What makes you think you can make assumptions about me just by looking at my eyes?"

Blushing, Ren quickly moved his arm to cover his paper, even though he knew it was too late and Horohoro had already read the whole thing.

He shoved Ren hard, knocking him out of his chair and onto the floor. "I'm not confused," he snapped. "I know exactly what I hate and what I like. And it's you I hate the most."


	4. Travelling to Hell

2 Weeks Later.

"Aren't you excited?" Horohoro asked Yoh cheerfully, stretching out on the grass in front of the school after school had let out. It was a brilliantly sunny day with a slight breeze, the perfect kind of day to relax.

"Hmmm?" Yoh asked. "Excited for what?"

Horhoro laughed. "Trust you not to know," he snorted. "Tomorrow is the school camping trip...we're going up into the mountains, idiot."

"Oh. That."

"So...?"

Yoh's only response was a long, lazy snore.

Horohoro sighed. He wished he was excited as he sounded, but things were not going to be pretty. He thought back to the afternoon's occurences.

_"Class, please check the cabin listings to see who you will be bunking with. The cabins are not co-ed, and I tried to put you in cabins with friends and people you don't get along with, after all, the whole point of this trip is to make new friends and keep old ones in a different, more grueling enviornment. There are 6 per cabin."_

_Excited, Horohoro and Yoh ran to check the list posted on the door._

_Horohoro scanned the list, looking for his name. "Cool," he said. "Look, Yoh. We're in the same cabin!"_

_"Really?" Yoh grunted. "I can't see. Read it aloud to me."_

_Horohoro craned his neck, elbowing some people aside. "Let's see...Usui Horohoro, that would be me...Asakura Yoh, that's you...Asakura Hao, Lyserg Diethel, Chocolove McDaniel...and...Tao Ren."_

_Yoh laughed. "We're going to have fun torturing the little brat, aren't we?"_

_"Yeah...I guess we will..."_

He furrowed his brow, coming back to reality. Of course they were going to have fun. Of course he would enjoy tormenting Ren.

The next day came sooner than anticipated. Ren was dreading it. A whole week trapped in a cabin, with almost no adult supervision with the five boys that hated his guts. Sighing, Ren found a seat in the back of the bus, away from everyone else, and plopped down his duffel bag.

It was a long bus ride. They rolled through mountains, over freeways, and through forests. Ren glanced nervously towards the bus's front, where a certain blue-haired Ainu flashed him a very offensive finger indeed. He quickly looked away and focused on the scenery outside the window.

The ride didn't last long enough for Ren. Before he knew it, they had arrived. The ride had been so long that the sun was already setting.

A fat lady in park ranger clothing introduced herself as the camp supervisor, and she said that they would have the rest of the day to themselves in their cabins, and a delivery of food would come to each later for dinner.

Laughing and talking endlessly, Horohoro, Chocolove, Yoh, Lyserg, and Hao hurried to their cabin. Ren was already there, sitting on his bunk and looking through his bag.

"Oh, it's you," scoffed Horohoro.

"Oh...I'm sorry..." Ren muttered, as if to apologize for his existence.

"Whatever," the Ainu snorted, throwing his belongings carelessly onto the bunk he wanted. "Just don't get in my way."

Slowly, Ren began unpacking his things. He dared not speak a word, or to look at any of them.

Presently, the fat supervisor arrived holding a stack of boxes filled with food. "One for each of you nice boys," she said cheerfully, handing them to Horohoro. "I'll trust you to pass them out."

"No problem, ma'am," Horohoro replied, as he handed some boxes to each of his friends. "Here," he grunted, extending a box towards Ren. "Hurry up and take it."

"Wait one second there," Hao sneered, shoving Ren aside. "What makes you think that the little eyesore deserves anything to eat?"

Horohoro's eyes narrowed, but he said, "Yeah, Hao. I guess you have a point."

Hao smirked. "Let's split this between the deserving people, shall we? Since feeding him this stuff would be a waste...isn't that right, Ren-chan?" He slapped Ren hard, knocking him back against the wall.

"I asked you..._isn't that right_?" he repeated.

Ren sullenly nodded. "Y-yes...you're right..." he stammered. "It would b-be...really...w-wasteful..."

Smiling, Hao grabbed him by the collar. "Don't think we're going to feed you tomorrow, either," he announced. "If we're not going to waste food today, then we shouldn't anytime soon, right?"

Ren didn't reply. Trembling, he let Hao hit him again.

_"Right!?"_

"Lay off, Hao," Horohoro snapped. He froze. He totally did _not_ mean to say that.

Hao raised an eyebrow. "I believe it was _you_, Usui, who said that those who defend rubbish becomes one of them," he replied.

"That's not what I meant," he said quickly. "I'm not defending him."

"Oh?"

"That's right. I'm just saying not to waste your time telling him that stuff, because he's too stupid to comprehend it anyways. Now get over here and eat your dinner."

Hao chuckled. "You're smart, Usui," he said, releasing Ren. The smaller boy instantly shrank away from Hao.

"Well, let's eat. We can have more fun with the nerd after we're done."

Terrified, Ren huddled up on the corner of his bunk, trying to get as far away as possible.

And true to his words, after he finished eating, Hao cast away the empty box and rose to his feet. "Hey, Yoh," he drawled lazily.

"Hrmpgh?" Yoh asked, with his mouth full of rice. "Fut ish eh, Hur?" (In other words, "What is it, Hao?")

"Get over here."

Yoh swallowed his food with a loud gulp and cheerfully complied, walking over to Hao. "Yeah?"

Hao grinned. "Hold his left arm, will you?"

"Huh?"

"Just do it."

Yoh shrugged and approached Ren. The Chinese boy's eyes widened. "N-no..." he stammered, trying to defend himself by holding his thin arms in front of himself. "Don't touch me..."

Yoh glanced nervously at Hao. "Can't we leave him alone for a bit, Hao?"

"No." Hao glared dangerously at Yoh.

"Sorry, pal," Yoh said cheerfully before siezing Ren's left arm as instructed by Hao.

"Good," Hao said, walking over and siezing Ren's right. "I was starting to get irritated." He turned towards Horohoro, who was cleaning up after his meal. "C'mon, Usui. You look stressed. Wanna take it out on your personal punching bag? Me and Yoh have him all ready for you."

Horohoro froze. He couldn't do it. Ren looked at him frantically with wide golden eyes, silently pelading Horohoro to have mercy just one time. The Ainu scratched his head furiously, irritated that he was harboring such feelings. he marched straight up to Ren, blocking out his sympathy.

"Thanks, guys," he said, trying to grin and appear confident. Ren strugled feebly, eyes darting around desperately, trying to scope out any means of escape.

"Don't try to be smart," Hao smirked, slapping Ren with his free hand. The boy gasped, and Hao's grin widened. "Do it now, Usui," he said.

Horohoro licked his lips. "Sure," he said, but he was mentally uncertain. His heart pounded inside his chest, but he refused to back down under the fearful eyes and helpless form.

In a swift movement, he punched Ren hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Ren cried out, coughed harshly, and struggled to catch his breath, a tear rolling down his cheek.

Horohoro gritted his teeth. He hated Ren for looking so gosh darn innocent. He hated Hao for talking him into hurting him, and he hated himself for allowing it.

"Hit him again," Hao encouraged.

"No," Horohoro said flatly.

Ren looked up in disbelief, and Hao's eyes narrowed. "Why not, Ainu? Do you _pity_ the insect?"

"No!" Horohoro snapped furiously. "I just...I just..."

"Yes?"

"I just...have...have...I just have to...I have to go to the bathroom," he muttered. "You can beat him up while I...take a pee..."

"Much obliged," Hao said, smiling and raising his hand to strike the defenseless Ren again. Horohoro stumbled into the restroom, slammed the door, and locked it. He clamped his hands over his ears when he heard Hao's laughter and Ren's screaming start.


	5. Showers

After a long, sleepless night, Horohoro and company rose early and made their way to the breakfast hall. They had to sit in assigned tables with their cabin mates, which Horohoro didn't mind about, if only Ren wasn't there.

He shoved eggs and various other vile breakfast items into his mouth, while Ren dolefully poked at his lumpy crap with his fork.

"What's the matter?" Yoh asked Ren. "Are you too good for camp food?"

Ren stayed silent and did not respond.

"Hey," Chocolove said. "It's polite to respond to someone when they talk to you,"

Ren did not respond again, and instead, continued to poke his food.

"Arrogant brat," Hao said, standing up suddenly. "Don't make me come over there and teach you some manners. If only you knew how badly I want to cut that lovely pale skin of yours."

Ren flinched and quickly shoved his plate aside.

"Leave him alone, you guys," Lyserg said between bites of what was supposed to be oatmeal, but looked like vomit. "You guys don't think the food tastes that great, either, do you?"

"I guess you're right, Mr. Pacifist," Chocolove replied. "It _is_ pretty nasty. But what are you, some kind of peace-loving hippie or something?"

"Shut up," Lyserg snapped. "Hippies do drugs, and I don't."

"But you're _named_ after a drug!"

"I said, _shut up!_" Lyserg growled irritably.

"How about we all shut up?" Yoh suggested. "You're all getting on my nerves."

"Stay out of it, Asakura," Chocolove retorted.

Yoh ignored him and turned to Horohoro. "You're awfully quiet today, Horo. What's up?"

Horohoro swallowed his bite slowly, his brain racing for an answer. "Uh, I'm just really hungry. No time to talk, you know?" He shoved another spoonful into his mouth. "See?' he said, although it sounded like "Shee?" on account of his mouth being jammed.

After breakfast, it was shower time. As you know, mountains in the mornings have killer cold temperatures. And the shower stalls were _outdoors_. Meaning, you'd have to step into the cold soaking wet. And nude, if you forgot your towel.

The boys lined up in the front of the large row of stalls. Hao smirked when he saw Ren step into a stall and lock the door. "Hey, guys," he said. "I have an idea."

"What?" Chocolove asked intently.

"We steal his towel and clothes."

The others found this hilarious. usuing a hairpin they borrowed from Pirika, Hao silently picked the lock and opened the door. Ren hadn't seen him and was busying himself testing the water temperature. Taking advantage of the moment, Hao grabbed the unsuspecting boy's towel and clothes, and silently slipped back out, quietly closing the door behind him.

He held up the items triumphantly as the others cheered and laughed. "And now...we wait."

Horohoro was furious. The poor boy was going to freeze. Of course, he didn't publicly display his emotion, and decided to try a plan of care and wit.

"You guys," he said, pointing to some empty shower stalls. "There's som vacancies."

Yoh counted the open stalls. "1, 2, 3, 4...There's only 4."

"It's OK," Horohoro said, taking ren's items from Hao. "You guys go first, and I'll wait with his stuff."

Agreeing, everyone hurried to claim the stalls and take their showers. Once they were all safely locked away, Horohoro carefully returned to Ren's.

He picked the lock and swung the door open. To his horror, Ren was standing there, dripping with water, and entirely nude. The boy was shivering and huddled on the stall's floor, apparently wondering what to do without his lcothes and towel.

Horohoro couldn't help but notice the ugly bruises, scars, and cuts that were scattered across his pale flesh. Most of them were his doing, and he felt a horrible pang of guilt that he never had before. Ren looked up at him, squeaked in terror, and backed away, his face turning a deep scarlet.

Horohoro realized that he, as well, was blushing furiously. "I-I'm not going to hurt you," he blurted. "I just wanted to...to give you these back."

He quickly handed Ren the items, looking away from his naked form.

Ren gingerly took his clothing and towel back, quickly wrapping himself in the towel. He stared at Horohoro in disbelief, wondering whether or not it was some kind of trap.

"Sorry," Horohoro muttered, glancing at Ren's wide-eyed expression. His wide, golden, fearful eyes. Horohoro fiercely shook his head to get the thoughts out of his mind.

"Th-thank you..." Ren stammered in a voice that was barely a whisper.

"No problem...I guess..." the Ainu replied akwardly. "Now, uh, I guess I'll go. Sorry for your trouble." He backed out the stall, closing the door behind him. As he exited, he found himself face-to-face with Hao.

And Hao, as a matter of fact, looked pretty pissed.


	6. Change of Heart

"_Well, Usui," _Hao hissed. _"What do you think you're doing?"_

Horohoro panicked. He thoug fiercely for an excuse. Fortunately, his mind was quick, and he managed to blurt out, "Some supervisor dude saw us take his stuff and yelled at me to give it back."

Hao raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Horohoro's breath caught in his throat and the panic slowly began swelling again as Hao glared and said, "I don't believe you."

Before Horohoro could do anything, Hao had shoved right past him and was marching straight towards the shower stall that contained the once again, unsuspecting Ren.

Without even bothering to pick the lock, or use any form of stealth, he forcefully kicked down the door. The Ainu's eyes widened in horror as Hao disappeared inside and Ren's terrified yelp was heard above the ruckus of other chitchatting students.

Seconds later, Hao threw the smaller, only half-dressed Chinese boy viciously outside into the cold. He landed on his side at Horohoro's feet, eyes squeezed shut and arms raised in a feeble attempt to shield himself.

Another split second later, Hao was upon him, aggresively beating him. "What makes you think you deserve to wear these?" he hissed, tearing a swatch from Ren's pants and throwing them disgustedly aside. Seizing Ren by the hair, he jerked him to his feet. "Answer me, brat."

Ren didn't say anything, and he didn't move. Tears of pain and humiliation slid down his cheeks as Hao threw him back to the floor, kicking him in the stomach.

Silent fury slowly began bubbling in Horohoro's stomach. He watched as Hao grabbed Ren by the throat, pinning him to the floor with his knees.

"Hao..." Horohoro growled. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

By now, all the bystanders had stopped to watch, a horrible silence lingering in the chilly air.

"What does it look like?" Hao snapped irritably. "Since you're refusing to knock some smarts into him, then I'm doing it for you." He then proceeded to clench his hands tightly around the young Chinese boy's throat, causing him to choke and struggle for breath.

The anger began flaring, and Horohoro tried to hold it in.

And Hao squeezed tighter.

Ren's eyes grew wide, he struggled, and he choked.

Tighter.

At last, the rage exploded somewhere in Horohoro's thoughts. Unable to contain his emotion any longer, he screamed, "HAO! LET HIM GO!"

"No," Hao said smoothly, merely adding strength to his grip. Ren's face was slowly losing its shade and turning a deathly blue, he was desperately wriggling about underneath Hao with no avail.

"LET HIM GO!" Horohoro screamed again. "YOU'RE CHOKING HIM! HE CAN'T BREATHE!"

"That's the point, Ainu."

And at that point, he lost it.

Horohoro launched himself at Hao, roughly tackling him and thus shoving him off Ren. Caught by surprise, Hao relinquished his grip on Ren's throat as Horohoro slammed his fist into the fire shaman's face.

Ren coughed, gasping for air, relieved to have oxgen back in his lungs. He watched in shock as the feeling seemed to pour out of the enraged Ainu.

"All this time," Horohoro hissed, "I've always beat up Ren. I never realized how wrong I was...because the only one that deserves it is you!" Furious, he blindly struck at Hao.

Yoh, appearing suddenly, grabbed Horohoro by the shoulders and seperated the two. "Hey, what's going on?" he demanded. "All of a sudden, you guys are fighting in the middle of nowhere."

Horohoro scowled fiercely at Hao. "You all make me sick," he growled. He got up, dusting the filth off his pants and crossing the area to Ren. Reaching down, he grabbed the boy roughly by the shoulders.

"No...please..." Ren whimpered in a barely audible whisper. But instead of hurting him, like he expected, Horohoro simply lifted Ren up, carrying his fragile form back towards the cabins.

When they arrived in, Horohoro slammed the door, locking it behind him so that Hao and the others couldn't get in. He glanced at Ren, who was looking at him with a confused expression on his face.

Horohoro marched across the room. Ren instinctively shrunk back, but again, Horohoro didn't hurt him. He merely took a towel from a rack and began wiping the water and dirt on him off, in addition to rubbing his hair dry. He then threw Ren one of his spare shirts.

"It might be a little big," he said, "But it doesn't matter."

Ren gingerly picked up the shirt, hesitating, unsure of the situation. "C-can I really wear this?" he stammered.

"What do you think?"

"No...?"

Horohoro glared at Ren, snatching the shirt away and jerking it over the boy's head himself, shoving his arms through the sleeves. Ren let out a small cry of surprise and slight pain, causing the Ainu to quickly withdraw his touch.

"Look," he snapped. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened before. You might be scared of me, and I may have hated you before...but don't get me wrong. This might sound really stupid to you, but somehow, I've changed. And I'm not going to hurt you anymore, and I won't let the others do anything to you, either."

He patted Ren's head, toussling the purple-black locks. "And it's my responsibility now to take care of you since I hurt you so bad before," he concluded.


	7. Accusations

Ren kept staring at Horohoro in shock. Just a day earlier, Horohoro had been so cruel to him, and all of a sudden, such kindness? There had to be something wrong, perhaps it was a trap.

At last, when it was almost time for sleeping, he couldn't resist from asking.

"Why?" Ren asked, looking downwards. "Why...are you being so nice to me? Aren't you...aren't you g-going to...hit me?"

Horohoro raised an eyebrow. "What? Do you want me to?"

"N-no, that's not what I meant," Ren said quickly. "You just...all of a sudden..."

Horohoro laughed amiably. "It's nothing," he said, grinning in a somewhat embarrased tone. "I'm not sure either..." he said. "But I think it might have some weird thing to do with...lo-"

Before he could finish the sentence, there was a vicious knocking on the cabin door. "Usui!" they heard Hao growl. "Open this door right now! What the hell is wrong with you!?"

Horohoro walked calmly to the door, opening it. "What do you want, Hao?" he asked smoothly, confident with his new heart.

Hao shoved past Horohoro. _"You,"_ he hissed, pointing at Ren with a menacing finger. "What have you done to Horohoro? Blackmail, is it? Why's he acting all friendly to you all of a sudden!?"

Terrified, Ren replied as truthfully as he could. "I don't know..."

"Filthy worm," Hao hissed, grabbing Ren's shirt collar. "You do so know."

"N-no," the frightened Chinese boy stammered. "I don't - truthfully...I d-did nothing..."

"You lie again," Hao accused in a dangerous whisper. "You're going to regret it, Tao. _I'm going to kill you._"

Ren's eyes widened as Hao gave him a sinister smirk before swaggering away. "Don't expect to see the the light of tomorrow."

"Shut up and leave him alone, Hao," Horohoro snapped. "I'm not going to let you kill him. He hasn't done anything. It's all my own choosing, so get over it and if you want to hurt someone so bad, it should be me."

"If you insist."

Hao gave Horohoro a hard punch to the face before spitting on the floor at his feet. "You're a damn traitor, Usui," he said, before climbing into his bunk and shoving the covers overh is head, leaving a scowling Horohoro and a fearful Ren.

Hao often hurt him, but he had never actually threatened to _kill_ Ren before. This scared the boy very much, and despite his efforts to hold them in, a few tears trickled from his eyes and down his cheeks.

"It's alright, Ren."

Ren's eyes widened as he felt a pair of strong arms put themselves around him, enclosing him with safe barrier and warmth.

Horohoro smiled warmly at the boy, a soft and serene expression on his face. He didn't care that he was doing something that would have been unthinkable just a few days ago. All he wanted was Ren to feel safe, and for himself to finally accept his own feelings.

"Did you already forget? Didn't I say I was going to take care of you?"

Comforted, Ren let himself lean into the embrace, closing his eyes. He had never felt so safe before. It's a curious thing. Just a few days earlier, something like this would have been unacceptable. But now, it felt perfectly normal, perfectly alright...

Horohoro patted Ren's head. "Now go to sleep, alright?"


	8. Spilling Blood

Ren felt himself drifting off to sleep, caught in a soft dream of pleasant thoughts; a world full of people with Horohoro, who could change their hearts and go against their prejudices to make him feel like someone actually cared about him.

Dreams are worlds of escapes, and your pathways are always laid out in front of you, ready for you to use.

How different life is.

His dream was interrupted abruptly when he felt someone grab his arms, twisting them sharply behind his back and pinning him to the bed. He opened his mouth to cry out, but it was muffled when a hand clamped tightly over his mouth.

Ren shuddered as he heard Hao's voice whisper into his ear, _"Hello there, Ren."_

He felt Hao, who was grinning slyly, reach under him with one hand, flicking open the traditional Chinese-style buttons that held his shirt closed. Ren squirmed, but Hao's grip merely tightened.

The night's cold instantly swooped over Ren's now bare back, sending a shiver up his spine. Hao cast Ren's shirt to the floor, and an instant later, Ren felt the fire shaman's hands running down the flesh, greedily taking in the smooth texture and the pale color.

Hao leaned down to Ren's ear, smirking and hissing, "You have such lovely skin...it's no wonder Horohoro likes you so much now...In fact, it's so lovely...that I can't help but leave my mark on it."

Ren cried out as he felt a sharp pain in his back. Apparently, Hao had taken a small blade from his pocket and had drawn a bloody line across his back, splitting the delicate flesh. As the warm crimson liquid trickled down and soaked into his sheets, Ren felt Hao's hand tighten over his mouth.

_"Make any more noise, and I'll kill you."_

Hao pressed the blade firmly into Ren's skin again, making a long red mark. He grinned, slashing the skin again, again, and again.

Ren squeezed his eyes shut, praying for the pain to end and for Hao to leave him alone. The pain was terrible, but he didn't dare make a noise. Instead, he let the tears freely flow from his eyes and drip onto the beadspread.

Cut after cut.

Tear after tear.

Smile after sick smile.

An eternity flew by, and Ren's back had been basically slashed to ribbons.

Hao jerked him into an upright sitting position.

_"It hurts, doesn't it?"_

"Y...yes..."

_"Then I'll put you out of your misery."_

Ren's eyes widened in terror as he felt the cold blade, wet with his own blood, pressing against his throat. Hao smirked in delight.

_"Goodnight, Tao Ren."_

Ren squeezed his eyes shut again and waited for the pain, but it never came.

Hao let out a startled yelp as a silent figure shoved him hard off Ren's bunk, sending him crashing to the floor. It was Horohoro, who instantly was in front of Ren, holding his arms out as to sheild the boy.

"Hao...you're one messed up bastard."


	9. Uncovered and Exposed

The pain in Ren's bleeding back seemed to dull slightly when he felt Horohoro's protective arms around him again, holding him close and cursing at Hao.

Horohoro winced when he felt the blood that seemed to be all over Ren's back. He glared at Hao. "What the hell is your problem, Hao?" he demanded, anger at the endge of his tongue. "What makes you think that you can just go randomly cutting other people up in the middle of the night?"

Hao smirked. He ignored Horohoro's question and instead, said smoothly, "Well, I see you're awake, Usui. In any case, why don't you just hand the boy over and let me finish the job? Or would you like to do it yourself?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" the Ainu spat. "Get out of the way, Hao. I'm taking him to get medical attention." With that said, he lifted Ren, taking care to be gentle, and stood up, ready to walk, or run, to the campsite's medical facilities.

"That's not neccessary," Hao said, his grin growing as he stepped forward to block Horohoro. "I'll take care of it."

"Yeah, right you will, Hao. Now get out of my way."

Before Horohoro could do anything else, Hao had suddenly made a move, shuoving him to the floor. His grip on Ren loosened, and he felt the Chinese boy's form being torn from his hold by Hao.

Eyes widening, Horohoro watched as Hao shoved Ren back onto his bunk, flipping him over so that he was lying on his stomach. Ren struggled, trying to fight off his attacker, but Hao was much stronger and managed to pin him down.

"Stop it!" Horohoro yelled. "You're hurting him!"

Hao grinned, running his hands over the array of injuries. "Rest assured, Horohoro, my dear. I'm merely going to make him feel better."

Ren cried out as Hao leaned downwards and let his tongue drag forcefully across a row of cuts. aggravating the wounds. Swallowing the blood he had gathered with his tongue, Hao grinned and, in a rather sadistic manner, licked Ren's back again, swirling his tongue across the delicate pale flesh.

"HAO!" Horohoro screamed, bursting with fury. "You freaking pervert! What the hell are you doing!?"

"I'm making him feel better."

"Don't give me that crap! You're hurting him even more, you sadistic psycho!"

With those words, Horohoro launched himself at Hao, knocking him against the wall. "Don't you dare touch him with your filthy tongue again!" he screamed, colliding his fists with Hao's face, stomach, shoulders, and chest. Hao fought fiercely back, and Yoh, Chocolove, and Lyzerg were woken in the scuffle.

"What's going on?" Lyzerg mumbled groggily, climbing out of his bunk and flicking on the light switch. The British boy's eyebrow arched signifigantly when he saw the droplets of blood staining the ground and Ren's bed in various places, and then his gaze travelled towards Hao and Horohoro's fight.

Yoh jerked the two apart. "What are you guys doing at this hour!? Stop trying to kill each other!"

"It's not me he wants to kill," Horohoro spat, nursing a now bruised shoulder. "You want to know what he did, Yoh? You want to know what your messed up brother did!?"

Yoh glanced confusedly at Hao, who was suffering from a bloody nose and a black eye.

"I'll tell you," Horohoro hissed. "He attacked Ren in the middle of the night and sliced him up, then he claims he's 'making him feel better' by drooling and licking his back a bunch of times over!"

Chocolove shook his head at Hao. "You're disgusting," the comedian muttered.

"Hao..." Yoh sighed in exasperation. "Dude...you're sick. You're just sick. I don't care if you're my brother, but I seriously think you need to see a doctor or something."

"There's nothing wrong with me," Hao said calmly. "What I just did...was a normal male instinct. I mean...wouldn't you want to do the same? Look, Yoh. Look at that beautifully smooth skin. Look at those lovely hips, and that fragile back."

"Shut up," Yoh said in disgust. "I don't want to hear any more of it."

"And in any case," Horohoro snapped, "I'm taking him to the medical office right now." He lifted Ren once again, who was silently crying. He hugged the boy tightly in a warm hold and headed for the door.

Hao smiled. "I know you see the same things as I do, Usui. You love him, don't you? You're in love with the little geek."

Horohoro glared ice at him. "Shut up, Hao. You know nothing about me."

He stomped furiously out the cabin towards the medical facilities, wiping Ren's tearful and blood-stained face with the corner of his shirt.


	10. Help From a Rude Doctor

The camp's current volunteer doctor, Dr. Faust, was a very busy man. If students weren't coming in complaining of homesickness, then they wanted snake-bite medicine, or someone was half-drowned, or even, in one case, some stupid kid had gone off and been attacked by a bear. At night, nothing usually happened, so Dr. Faust was free to relax and sleep, dreaming happy thoughts of his beloved Eliza.

However, that night, things were different. Like normal, he drifted off to sleep in his own quarters in the medical office. Right when things in his dream about Eliza were getting juicy, he heard an urgent knocking on the door.

Cursing, grumbling, and muttering irritably, Faust hopped out of bed and trudged sleepily to the door, opening it. "Whaddya want?" he mumbled in slurred speech.

He found himself glaring at a blue-haired boy, who was holding another boy tightly in his arms. The boy blinked and said, "Uh. Have you been drinking, by any chance?"

Dr. Faust scowled at this. "No!" he said sharply. "I'm just really tired. Go back to your cabin and sleep, kid, it's too late at night to be parading around and accusing people of being alchoholic!" He tried to slam the door in the kid's face, but found he couldn't as the kid banged it right open again with his shoulder.

"What kind of a freaking doctor are you!?" the kid demanded, jabbing an accusing finger at him. "My friend here needs medical attention!" The anger dissolved, to be replaced by concern, as he said, in a calmer voice, "My name's Horohoro, doctor. And this kid, Ren, needs your help. He's badly hurt."

Faust raised an eyebrow. "Well...come on in, then, kid. Hurry up." Horohoro followed him through the office and into the patient area, where there were several beds lined up against the wall. There was only one other patient, whose head seemed to be missing.

Horohoro winced. "What happened to him?"

"Bear got him," Faust answered briskly as he patted an empty bed. "Plop your buddy down here."

Horohoro gently placed Ren down on the hospital bed as Faust carefully turned him over to examine the injuries. The doctor frowned.

"What's wrong?" Horohoro asked.

Faust shook his head, and began to explain quickly. "He's lost a lot of blood. Look, he's already starting to lose conciousness, and his complexion has become pale beyond the normal color of a helathy person...And he's in a lot of pain. To add to it, I need to treat him quickly and immediately. If the injuries are infected, or if they become infected, then that will be troublesome. He was already a weak kid to start with, and I don't know if we can do anything to help."

The Ainu's eyes widened. "You mean...there's a possibility that...?"

Faust nodded as he pulled on a pair of medical gloves. "There's a 1 in 4 chance that he'll die."

Horohoro cursed himself silently. "If I had got here faster...damn that perverted bastard, Hao..."

"What happened, anyways?" Faust asked as he opened some drawers and started taking out bottles, various injections, and other medical tools.

Horohoro quickly came up with something. "Uh...wolverine."

Faust raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I don't think there are wolverines up here in these mountains."

"I...I meant..." Horohoro said quickly, thinking furiously. "I meant, erm...a bear."

"Ah." Faust said, as he carefully injected a dose of morphine into Ren's bloodstream, raising a soft whimper from the boy. "That ought to make him more comfortable...and while I try to disinfect the wounds, why don't you tell the truth?"

Horohoro sighed. "Fine." He rubbed the back of his head and muttered, "He got attacked by another kid in our cabin."

"Is that so? Faust asked.

"Yeah."

"Tell me about it."

Horohoro sighed again. "Well, doctor...um, I'm not really sure of all the details, 'cause I was asleep through most of it...but you see, this other psycho guy, his name's Asakura Hao, for no reason, in the middle of the night, started cutting up his back."

"I see. Tell the camp supervisor about the incident."

"Yeah, but Hao'll probably-"

Faust cut him off. "Are you scared of that guy?"

"No..." Horohoro replied, a little uncertainly.

"Do you care about your friend?"

"Yeah..."

"Then report him."

"Fine, fine, I gotcha." the Ainu grumbled.

Faust, who had just finished bandaging Ren's back, frowned. "Hmm. He's entirely unconcious now." He glanced back at Horohoro. "This is all I can do for nows. Kid, you'd better leave now."

Horohoro scowled. "No way," he said. "I'm staying with Ren."

"Go back to your cabin and go back to sleep."

"Doctor, please," Horohoro said defiantly. "You don't understand. It's my fault he got hurt 'cause I left him alone with that psycho, and I'm going to be so freaking guilty if you make me leave him again."

"Look, kid. I'm not joking around. Just go and mind your own business. Let your buddy rest."

"I'm not leaving."

Faust shook his head. "Fine, do whatever, I don't care." He walked away back to his sleeping area, muttering, "This is why I hate kids..."


	11. Wishes

The sun was shining harshly through the hospital window. Horohoro sleepily stretched, yawning and opening his eyes. "Where am I?" he muttered, realizing he was sitting in a chair in the camp's small clinic.

He sighed as the previous night's horrific events flooded back into his memory. He glanced at Ren, who was still unconcious. He looked so peaceful and innocent, that Horohoro couldn't help but gently reach out and touch his face.

"Ow!" Horohoro snapped as someone else slapped his hand away. He looked up.

"Don't touch him, kid," a grumpy Doctor Faust grunted. "He needs undistrubed rest."

"Oh..." Horohoro said. "Uh, so, doctor? How is he? Is he gonna make it?"

"I don't know yet," Faust said. "But I _do _know that you'd better get your midget butt out of here and go back to your cabin right now."

"Fine," Horohoro grunted, "But I'll come back to visit him later during lunch." He stood up, looked at Ren one last time, and walked away and back to his cabin.

He opened the door, scowling as he saw everyone but Hao was up and getting ready to go to the cafeteria. The fire shaman was smiling in a sick, smug way in his sleep. The fury flooded back into Horohoro, and he grabbed Hao, shaking him vicously.

"Wake up and smell the goddamn roses, Hao," he spat.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hao growled. "I was sleeping perfectly and you just have to barge in and wake me up."

"Do you know what you did, Hao!? Because of you, he might die!"

"Oh, really? Good, then."

Horohoro tried to punch Hao again. but Yoh grabbed his arms. "Come on, Horo," Yoh said. "Don't pick any more fights. Someone else can get hurt again."

"Fine," Horohoro snapped, dropping his arm, but his hateful glare directed at Hao did not falter. "If Ren dies, I'm never gonna forgive you."

"Come on," Chocolove implored. "Just relax and let's go to the cafeteria for breakfast, okay? I'm sure he'll be fine."

Hao and Horohoro glared maliciously at each other, letting the other 3 nervously direct them to the cafeteria, trying to prevent another fight from breaking out.

All through breakfast, Horohoro couldn't stop worrying about Ren, and wondering if he really was going to be alright.

He couldn't stop thinking about it, either, during the various camp activities. He even spaced out in the middle of a water polo game, too immersed in his concerns to focus on the game.

"Pay attention, Usui!" his annoyed teammates shouted as he let the ball fly past him with no effort to stop it.

"He apologized, and tryed to concentrate on winning the game with his team, and it worked, but when it was lunch time, the worries came back.

As promised, he went back to visit Ren during the lunch period.

He pulled up a chair next to Ren's bed and seated himself. "Hey," he said softly. "How're you doing, huh, Ren?"

Ren opened his eyes, turning his head to look at Horohoro. "Oh..." he whispered weakly. "H-hi...I guess..." Horohoro couldn't help but notice how much paler and weaker he looked than usual.

The Ainu pulled a sloppily folded origami crane made from a napkin he had taken with him before he had left the cafeteria. Grinning, he said, "You know, there's an old Japanese legend that says if you fold a thousand paper cranes, then the gods will grant you a wish."

Ren nodded. "I've heard it before..."

"Well," Horohoro continued, "My wish is that you'll get better real soon, but I obviously don't have a thousand freaking napkins to make into a thousand freaking cranes, so I'm hoping that one will work." He laughed, placing the crane on the small table next to Ren's bed. Ren smiled faintly, making the Ainu's heart skip just the slightest bit.

"Thank you..." the Chinese boy whispered gratefully.

At that moment, a sharp blow from a whistle outside cut through the air, notifying the students that lunch was over.

"Crap," Horohoro muttered. "I gotta go." He grabbed Ren's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Promise me you'll stay alive, okay?"

"I...I'll try..."

Horohoro grinned. "You'd better try really hard, you hear me?"

"Yeah," Ren said softly, smiling back. "I...I will..."

"I'll see you later, then." Horohoro patted Ren's head and hurried off to meet up with Yoh, Chocolove, Lyzerg, and, unfortunately, Hao.


	12. Paper Cranes

The next day wasn't very different from the last. Horohoro was still deeply concerned about Ren, and he made a point to ask everyone to give him their napkins.

"What do you need them for?" Yoh asked curiously. "Anything I can help with?" he inquired as he gave his napkin to Horohoro.

"It's not really your business," Horohoro replied as he carefully ripped the napkins into squares.

Slightly hurt, Yoh frowned. "Really? Then I won't ask anymore."

Horohoro kept these napkins in his pocket, and whenever he had a few spare seconds between activities, he'd whip one out and take a seat. When he was sure no one was paying attention to him, he'd carefully fold the napkins into cranes.

By that afternoon, he had four more, making a total of five cranes if he were to add them with the one he had already given Ren.

At lunch, he took one napkin from everyone except for Hao, and with his own, he now had four more napkins to use. He also found a discarded extra on the floor, and it was intact other than the fact that there was a little wasabi on it.

"The gods better like wasabi," he muttered as he picked up the napkin and shoved it into his pocket. He exited the cafetria, found a solitary spot on the field, and began folding.

As he was finishing up the last of his napkins, he heard someone behind him. Turning around, he waved at Yoh. "Hi," he said, hastily shoving the cranes back into his pocket.

Yoh smiled in a carefree manner. "The weather's nice today, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

Yoh took a seat next to Horohoro. "Why were you making those cranes, Horo?" he asked. "Look, I know you said it's not my business, but I was just wondering if my assumptions about your new origami project were right..."

"I'm just making them for Pirika," Horohoro snapped. "She likes 'em."

"Aww, Horo," Yoh said softly. "Haven't we been best buddies since first grade? And you can't even tell me the truth after all that? I know what you're trying to do. You're thinking about that old story about making a thousand cranes and getting a wish, aren't you? Is it because of that Ren kid being hospitalized, and that he might die and all that stuff?"

"You know me to well for your own good," Horohoro chuckled.

Yoh grinned. "I _was_ right, then. So let me help you out." He pulled some more napkins out of his pocket. "I nicked them from the cafetria and thought you might wanna use them," he said with a shrug.

"Thanks, Yoh."

"No problem, Horo. Fold like there's no tomorrow, and you take care of that Ren kid, okay?"

"Sure."

Waving, Yoh got up and walked away, leaving Horohoro to do more folding.

At the end of the day, he had 19 cranes to give to Ren.

Before sleeping, Horohoro walked, clad in pajamas, to the camp medical center. He entered, checking in as a visitor. After sticking the required "Hi, I'm a Visitor!" sticker on his shirt, he made his way to Ren's bed.

Ren wasn't asleep yet, and when he saw Horohoro, his face seemed to light up a little.

Horohoro took a seat next to him. "I made more," he said cheerfully, dumping the cranes on Ren's bedside table. "See? Now you have twenty." He told Ren all about the day at camp, how much he was worried, and about the wasabi napkin. He told him everything, and how much he wished that Ren could be outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Laughing, Horohoro said, "You are not going to believe what happened to Hao today! That stupid bastard ran right into a wasp nest and got chased into the lake! Gosh, I wish you could've seen that...I thought I was gonna pee myself laughing...Though it's too bad he didn't actually get hurt, huh?"

Ren smiled and listened quietly to Horohoro speak, extremely grateful for his company.

"So," the Ainu said. "How's life for you in here?"

"I...it's not that bad," Ren replied. "It's boring...a-and I feel like I-I'm in a lot of pain...b-but the doctor's a good guy...and he's trying his best to h-help me..."

"Aww. You poor thing," Horohoro chuckled. "I sound like your mom, don't you?"

Ren was about to reply, but before he could, he felt Horohoro's lips brush his cheek softly. Blushing furiously, the Chinese boy began stuttering, "H-Horohoro...I...uh..."

"It's alright," the Ainu grinned. "You'd better get well soon, yeah?"

"Y-yeah..."

Horohoro stood up and grinned at Ren. "I have to be going. Good night, Ren. Sleep well."


	13. Goodbye

The next day was particularly cold. The wonderful weather was suddenly gone, only to be replaced my dark storm clouds. It was like a pleasant memory being snatched away by nightmares. Strangely enough, this was quite similar to what would happen next.

In the middle of a soccer game, students began feeling droplets of water on them. They looked up into the dark sky, and a torrent of rain burst out upon them.

Horohoro splashed through puddles in a hurry to get back to his cabin, tailed closely by his friends. They were all completely soaked when the finally made it back in, and everyone looked like a group of drowned rats. Much to Horohoro's satisfaction, Hao had also gotten extremely muddy when he had slipped in the wet grass.

Lyzerg attempted to wring the water out of his emerald hair, commenting, "The weather sucks. Seriously, I think it's like an omen or something."

"An omen? Chocolove inquired, squeezing water out of his vest and creating a puddle on the floor.

"Yeah, an omen."

While everyone started screaming at Chocolove to stop getting the ground even wetter than it already was, Lyzerg's words struck Horohoro at full impact as he was removing his coat. An omen...? Whatever it was an omen for, it had to be bad.

_Ren._

Cursing loudly, the Ainu dashed to the door and threw it open.

"Horo! Hey, Horo!" Yoh shouted. "Where're you going? It's pouring outside, you know!"

"I don't care!" Horohoro screamed, running out the door into the rain without even bothering to put his coat back on. Stumbling through the torrent, he jumped over puddles, or ran right through them in an insane race to the medical center.

"What's up his butt?" Hao asked.

"I don't know..." You said, with a worried look on his face. "But I think something bad's happened. Something really bad."

At last, he reached the medical center. He flung the door open and ran right past Faust.

"Wait!" Faust snapped. "Stupid kid, you have to put on a visitor sticker first!"

Horohoro ignored him, sliding on the cold tile floor. He skidded to a stop at the room where the patients were contained. The door was closed, which was unsual. It was usually open, welcoming concerned visitors.

Dreading what might be awaiting him, Horohoro licked his dry lips and slowly turned the knob.

He looked in, walking slowly through the rows of beds, still dripping wet.

He glanced to the side. A table with paper cranes still placed neatly on it. The corresponding bed's occupant had the blanket pulled entirely over it, signifying that they were no longer alive.

Shaking uncontrollably from dread and cold, Horohoro's quivering hands slowly lifted the clipboard attatched to the bed's foot. He checked the name. There was no mistake. It clearly read the name he had wished with all his heart would not be there.

_Name: Tao Ren  
Checked in: 4 days ago  
Status: Passed away_

The reality of it sunk into Horohoro's mind, registering every detail. He gritted his fists, and he screamed as loud as he could.

"Put a cork in it, kid!" Faust snapped irritably, "You're too noisy!"

"SHUT UP!" Horohoro screamed. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE BETTER CARE OF HIM, HUH!? YOU CALL YOURSLEF A DOCTOR, AND LOOK! HE'S DEAD! HE'S FREAKING DEAD!"

Faust looked truly remorseful. He placed a hand on Horohoro's shoulder, shaking his head. "Look, kid. I'm sorry. I did all I could, I really tried to save him. But you know, I'm not perfect."

Horohoro clenched his teeth. "I know...it's not your fault...I'm sorry..."

Faust sighed. "Your friend was a good kid. All the other ones were spoiled rotten and they thought I was their servant or something, costantly whining and complaing and telling me to make them better or their parents would sue...but this one, he was quiet. He never asked for anything...he was polite, he was respectful..." He glanced at Horohoro. The boy was trying so hard to keep the tears in that the expression on his face would have been funny if it weren't for the situation.

"It's alright, kid. Let it all out."

And he did.

Tears streamed from his eyes like a river, and Horohoro thought he would never stop. He was probably there for an hour, sobbing hysterically, as Faust patted his back reassuringly. It was humiliating, but he didn't care.

At last, he had cried out all the tears he could, and he felt like he had been drained dry. Sniffling, he said slowly, "C...can I see him?"

"I don't think you'll be able to take it, emotionally, I mean."

"I don't care."

"Fine," Faust said quietly. "Go ahead."

Hands still trembling, Horohoro gently lifted the white sheet from Ren's face.

The Chinese boy looked as if he was asleep, but Horohoro knew he would never wake up. A peaceful expression graced his facial features, eyes softly closed, a faint trace of a small smile still at his lips.

Horohoro reached out to touch his face, moving his fingers softly over his stone cold skin. He sighed, smiling bittersweetly, letting a few more tears drop downwards.

"I guess...that's that."


	14. Secret Hope

The next day passed by excruciatingly slow pace. Horohoro no longer cared about anything camp related, and even though he was supposed to be doing the assigned activities, he spent the rest of the day sitting quietly next to Ren's corpse, trying to believe that there was a way out of the horrible mess. Occasionally, he'd glance at the paper cranes and curse the gods for being so selfish to take Ren away from him, and then he'd curse himself for not making enough cranes, if that could have made a difference. Then, he'd curse Hao ten times more for killing him. He would also, every now and then, reach over to stroke stray deep purple locks from Ren's face, and tears were constantly dripping in silence to the cold tile floor.

He must have been there for hours, ignoring all the people who came in and out. On two occasions, Yoh entered, and he, too, looked truly regretful for Ren's death. He sat next to Horohoro for a few minutes, trying to console him and engage him in conversation. But nothing interested the heartbroken Ainu, and he didn't acknowledge Yoh's presence at the slightest.

Faust could have gone crazy with troubles. He wanted to kick Horohoro out of the hospital and tell him to stick his Ainu nose somewhere else, but he knew that would be too cruel. Instead, when his patience ran out, he decided to try something he'd have to entrust Horohoro to keep secret.

He crossed the room, pulling up his own chair next to Horohoro.

"What do you want?" the boy muttered without looking up at all.

"You alright, kid?"

"What does it look like?"

Faust sighed. "I have a way to bring him back, I think, but you can't ever tell no one, you hear me?"

Horohoro looked up, shocked. Who exactly was this doctor? Some kind of insane scientist?

He shook his head. "Forget it, doctor. I don't want you to turn Ren into a freaking Frankenstein or Faust's Monster or whatever crap you're planning."

"Look, kid, if you really don't want him back that much, I'll change my mind," Faust snapped. "Now shut up and listen."

Horohoro blinked, and uncertainly nodded. "Yeah, I'm listening."

Faust looked around to make sure no one was around. He closed the door, sat back down, and said in a low voice, "Kid, you ever heard of shamans?"

Horohoro's eyes widened. So Faust was a shaman too? "Y-yeah," he replied quickly. "Yeah, I have."

Looking furtively around again, the doctor continued to speak. "I'm what you punks might call a witch doctor, but don't get me wrong, I ain't no pagan tribesman or whatever. I have a sixth sense to see ghosts and to control them, and with that comes special spiritual power called furyoku, you got me?"

"Yeah."

"With my furyoku, I think I'd be able to put some life back in your friend there, but you can't tell anyone. You promise?"

"I promise."

"But," Faust said. "I'll have to make a deal with you, kid. One person alone doesn't have enough furyoku to ressurect someone. Since you're a human, I have to borrow part of your soul-"

"Hold it one second, doctor," Horohoro interrupted. "Who says I'm a normal human, huh?"

Fasut blinked. "I'm not joking around with you, kid, this is serious stuff."

"I know that," Horohoro replied. "The thing is, though it's really hard to believe, I'm a shaman too...and so was Ren. And all of my other friends."

Surprised, Faust answered, "Really, kid? Good, then, this'll be a lot easier." He looked around again, to make a final check that no one was within earshot or sight. "OK, then," he said quietly. "Ready to bring your friend back to life?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, doctor."

"You sure, kid?"

"Sure I'm sure."

"OK," Faust said, rolling up his sleeves. "Then you're gonna listen real close and do everything I tell you to do, okay?"

Horohoro nodded nervously. "Yeah."

"Good. Then let's start, kid."


	15. Revival

Faust lifted the white sheet all the way off of Ren's body. Horohoro couldn't help but notice how much thinner and paler he had become.

"Watch closely," Faust said. "If you mess up, there's no reversing nothing, you hear?"

Horohoro nodded nervously, ready to do anything the shamanic doctor asked of him.

"Okay," Faust said, reaching out and placing his hands in a slightly overlapped position on Ren's chest. "Put your hands like that on top of mine, kid," he instructed.

The Ainu slowly raised his hands, attempting to copy Faust's position. Slowly and carefully, he placed his hands down on the doctor's hands, shifting them to get the specific angles. "Is that right?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Faust approved. "That'll do fine. Now, concentrate real hard and concentrate your furyoku into your hands and out, as if you're pouring life into your pal. You got that?" His hands were now glowing with the spiritual energy emitted.

Horohoro tried to do the same, and presently, his hands began glowing as well with his furyoku. "Please, god...please...please...please let it work...please bring him back..." he pleaded silently under his breath. There was a long silence as Horohoro tried concentrating with all his might.

A concerned expression crossed Faust's features. "Something ain't right," he said quietly. "It...it's not working."

A panicked expression flew into Horohoro's features. "What!?' he exclaimed. "What am I doing wrong?"

The doctor shook his head. "I don't know. Let's start over and try again, okay? You've gotta concentrate harder, kid."

His heart pounding, Horohoro placed his hands back onto Faust's, concentrating as hard as he could, although it was making his head hurt the slightest bit. He let his furyoku flow freely from his body into Ren's, praying silently.

After what seemed like an eternity, Faust finally motioned for Horohoro to stop, smiling proudly. "We did it, kid," he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "He'll be waking up real soon."

A grin came across Horohoro's face. "Really? Gee, I don't know how to thank you, doctor."

"Forget it," Faust said, waving his hand casually in the air. "Now you just stay here 'til he comes back around, yeah?"

Horohoro looked at Ren intently as the exhausted doctor walked off to his office to fill out some papers and whatnot. He waited, his heart beating painfully. He could have gone wild with impatience right there, but right when he thought he was going to lose it, he caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye.

"C'mon, Ren...wake up..." the Ainu urged encouragingly. His eyes lit up and his mouth fell open when he saw Ren's eyelids begin to flutter. "That's it..." he whispered. "Open your beautiful eyes..." He grasped Ren's limp hand tightly.

The Chinese boy's eyes slowly opened, taking their time to readjust their vision. He looked up to see Horohoro anxiously looking down at him and holding his hand. "H-Horohoro...?" he whispered weakly. "Is...is that really you?"

"REN!" Horohoro practically screamed, throwing his arms around his neck, holding him in a tight embrace. "Oh, thank god, Ren...I thought I'd lost you forever..." Tears streamed down his cheeks, and soon, he realized Ren was silently crying too.

"It's alright," Horohoro assured, gently stroking Ren's hair and using the back of his hand to dry his tears. "You're okay now, and that's all that mattters, right?"

"I wouldn't exactly call him _okay_," Faust interrupted, stepping out of his office.

"Huh?" said Horohoro. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well," Faust said, "Techincally, since he died and was brought back, it's like he's been born again, sort of. Of course, he's still the same mentally and physically on the exterior, _but_ his body still needs to take the time to kick back into its normal functions, you know? I'll have to keep a close eye on him, and he'll needs lots of rest."

Horohoro smiled at Ren. "Rest a lot, you hear me?"

"I will."

Horohoro rose to his feet and stretched. "I'd better go, Ren. I'm not supposed to be here, but I am, for your sake."

A slight blush crept across the Chinese boy's face at those words. "You didn't have to..."

The Ainu grinned. "Yeah, I did. Well, I'll come back to see you later, okay?"

Ren nodded. "I...I'll be waiting for you...Horohoro."


	16. Death Threats

Author's Note: Thank you for being patient with me, I may be updating slower now because I'm also working on a new story (_Traitor_) at the same time, which you can check out. I'd love it if you could review that, but it's rated a little bit more mature than this fic. Thanks.

* * *

Feeling strangely carefree, light, and cheerful, Horohoro made his way back to his cabin, thankful that Ren was alive. He soon arrived at the cabin, opening the door and stepping in. He was instantly greeted by Hao's scornful voice. 

"So the brat died, huh? No wonder you look so happy."

"Stop it, Hao," Yoh sighed. "Dying people isn't a laughing matter, you idiot." He glanced back at Horohoro. "Sorry, Horo, Hao's just a little insensitive, if you know what I mean. He doesn't really mean it."

"Yes, I do mean it," Hao said flatly.

"Hao!" Yoh snapped.

"It's alright, Yoh," the Ainu replied cheerfully. "Don't bother with him, it's really nothing to be worried about." He decided it would not be wise to mention that Ren was alive again, as Hao would probably find a way to reverse that. However, as he mentally made the decision, he forgot the fact that Hao had the terrifying ability to read minds. Which he was just conveniently happening to do right now.

"I see how it is now," Hao said in a soft, dangerous voice. "He's alive, and you're so happy about that, aren't I right, Usui?"

Horohoro inhaled sharply, his breath catching painfully in his throat.

"Huh?" Yoh said, confused. "He was dead, I saw it with my own eyes! Horo, what's going on?"

"I think you owe your beloved friend Yoh some honesty," Hao hissed maliciously. "And you owe it to me, too, for being such an asshole."

Horohoro sighed. "It's hard to believe, but the doctor's a shaman, too. I...helped him, using some furyoku, to bring him back..."

"Ah. Then save your happiness, Usui. Your touching reunion won't last long."

The blue-haired boy's eyes narrowed. "If you dare touch him again, Hao, I swear I'll-"

"You'll what?" the fire shaman interrupted. "You'll try to freeze me up? Oh, please. You're a pathetic shaman, and so is that little nerd Ren. And in that respect, you're perfect for each other."

"Excuse me?" Horohoro hissed. "What do you mean by _for each other_?"

Hao snorted. "Don't give me your crap. I know you, Usui. You love the kid. Your disgusting Romeo act makes me sick. If I just go back and kill him again, then maybe that will encourage you to stop." He got up and walked towards the door.

"I won't let you," Horohoro snapped fiercely, shoving Hao back.

"Oh, really? What can you do, Horohoro? I'm eager to know."

"I can do plenty, thank you very much."

"Guys, come on," Yoh implored. "Stop bickering, you're really acting like immature first graders fighting over a coloring book or something. Just please, please, please...cut it out! And Hao, seriously. Get over yourself." He planted himself between the two, trying to act as a mediator to halt the arguement.

"No one asked you to give your opinion, Yoh," Hao spat. Before anyone could move, he had landed a hard slap across his brother's face, sending him sprawling to the floor.

"Yoh!" Horohoro knelt down next to his friend. "Are you okay?"

"I...I'm fine," Yoh muttered, glaring hatefully at Hao. "You're getting too violent for your own good, Hao."

"That's no concern of yours. I'll do what I like," Hao replied coldly, directing a kick at Yoh's stomach.

"Stop it!" Horohoro shouted, stopping Hao's foot with his shoulder. "What the hell is your problem, Hao? Just let it go! Yoh hasn't done anything to you, and neither has Ren! Just do the world a favor and go cut yourself if you really wanna hurt someone; yourself!"

Hao glared at Horohoro. "You're all pathetic. I'll kill everyone, even you, Yoh."

"Hao, you bastard!" Yoh screamed. "What's wrong with you!?"

"Mark my words, you two. I like keeping my word. I swear you'll all die the painful deaths you deserve by my hand."

"Hao..."

"I hope you'll have fun in hell with your darling Ren, Usui." With that, Hao stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it, plotting his next move.


	17. Ladies First

The next morning passed by slowly and painfully. At least Ren was out of the hospital, which made life on the edge (with the threat of Hao) a little more bearable.

During breakfast, Horohoro had made sure to put some distance between himself and Hao, seating Ren next to him. At first, Ren was terribly shy and didn't want to talk to anyone at all, and he refused to look up from his plate.

"It's alright, Ren," Horohoro whispered into the Chinese boy's ear. "You can talk if you want."

"I...I'd rather not..."

Hao, much to Horohoro's annoyance was looking particularly smug.

"You'd better not really kill anyone, Hao," Yoh said absently as he munched on scrambled eggs. "Thanks, but no one here really feels like dying, okay?"

Hao smiled. "No need to worry, Yoh. You know how the old saying goes...ladies first."

Yoh dropped his fork. Horohoro's eyes widened. Chocolove and Lyzerg froze. Even Ren looked up.

"No...you didn't..."

"Don't fret, Yoh. Your turn will come soon enough."

In a split second, Yoh leaped out of his seat and started running out the cafetria.

"Yoh!" Chocolove called. "Hey, Yoh!"

The brown-haired slacker ignored him and disappeared out the door.

Horohoro cursed, glaring at Hao. "C'mon, Ren," he muttered, taking the boy's hand and pulling him to his feet. "We should go after him." Ren nodded, and the two hurried off.

Soon enough, they caught up with Yoh, who was looking around wildly. "Anna, Tamao, Pirika...didn't they mention they were all in the same cabin? Yoh asked frantically. "Horo, do you remember Pirika ever telling you their cabin number?"

The Ainu thought hard. "Yeah...I think it wasl ike B-16 or something..."

"Good enough, let's hurry."

After a few more minutes of running, they arrived at B-16. Yoh turned the doorknob, only to recieve a loud clicking noise.

"It's locked," he muttered, rattling the knob desperately.

"Move, Yoh," Horohoro said.

Yoh had just barely stepped away when Horohoro rammed the door hard with his shoulder, sending it flying off its hinges and out of its frame. The three boys quickly entered.

There was no one in sight.

"They have to be somewhere," Horohoro said, turning his head this way and that. "Let's split up and search."

They started searching in different sections of the room: Ren in the upper hald, Horohoro in the lower half, and Yoh in the restroom.

Ren carefully opened a closet. His eyes widened, and he let out an audible gasp.

"Ren?" Horohoro said, looking up when he heard him gasp. "Ren? Are you alright?"

"I...I'm fine..." he replied, stammering fearfully. "But...but...oh, Horohoro...come here...please..."

Horohoro gulped, crossing the room towards Ren. He looked into the closet the Chinese boy was in front of. His brain froze with shock as his mouth fell open.

A pink-haired girl's form was slumped limply against the wall, bloody cuts covering her body. The crimson liquid was everywhere; splattered all over the closet.

Tamao.

Ren stared wide-eyed at the mutilated corpse, quivering. Horohoro wordlessly took him in his arms, holding him close, gently steering him away from the gruesome sight.

At that moment, he heard Yoh scream.

"ANNA!"

The Ainu took Ren's hand and hurried into the bathroom. Yet another terrible display. He could feel the vomit bubbling in his stomach. To save Ren from seeing it, he quickly put his hands over his eyes. "Don't look," he whispered.

The itako's body was dangling by a rope from the ceiling, she had obviously been hung by someone who couldn't have been anyone else but Hao. Her eyes were still open rigidly with shock, but they were glazed over with death. Her face was covered with blood and her hands were gone, with nothing but two bloody stumps left.

Yoh was in hysterics as he cut the rope, letting the corpse drop to the floor. He clung to her limp body, sobbing and screaming her name.

"Anna! No...Anna, please...you can't do this to me...Anna...wake up..."

"I'm sorry, Yoh," Horohoro muttered. Feeling sick, he guided Ren out the room. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew that Pirika had to be in similar condition.

He found her dead body under a bed. He was so shocked he couldn't even let out any tears.

Ren's eyes were wide with terror as the Ainu slowly pulled his sister's corpse out from under the bed it had been shoved beneath. Her eyes had been gouged out, only bleeding sockets were left. Deep bloody wounds decorated the area right above her heart, and her throat had been slit.

"Horohoro..." Ren stuttered. "I...I'm so sorry..."

"What're you apologizing for?" Horohoro asked quietly. "You didn't do anything to hurt anyone." As the tears finally came, he felt Ren's hand clasp on to his own, holding on to it tightly.

"Please...please don't cry," he whispered.

"Sorry, Ren. I can't help it..."

There was a long silence before Horohoro finally spoke again.

"We'd better go back now. We have to stop Hao before he gets anyone else. I'm worried about Chocolove and Lyzerg. He could be finishing them off as we speak..."

"I guess...I guess you're right."

They were reluctant to leave, but they had to.

They had no idea that wishing for the safety of everyone else and each other was useless.

They had no idea that more blood was going to be spilled.


	18. Falling Leaves

Author's Note: I'd like to let you know that the fic is nearing its end...I plan on finishing with 20 chapters. Thank you for bearing with my horribly mundane and repetitive (and not to mention really unrealistic) plot so far. Also, I apologize if this chapter is a tad short.

Thanks.

* * *

They moved quickly, walking across the site back towards the cafeteria. Yoh had such an insane look of both grief and explosive anger in his eyes that Horohoro had to break a quick reminder. 

"Yoh...you should contain yourself. I know that you're a shaman and everything, but using your powers in the middle of public isn't exactly the smartest thing to do."

"Who do you think I am, Harry Potter lost in the Muggle world or something!?" snapped Yoh. Horohoro blinked. Yoh had never been so aggresive in his life.

Yoh must have realized this too, as the flare in his expression softened. "Sorry, Horo. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It's just that...he killed Anna. I can't forgive him for that."

"No worries, Yoh," the Ainu replied briskly. "I understand completely."

A breeze ruffled his blue hair, bringing with it a single leaf that had been whisked away from the branches of its mother tree. The leaf drifted to the ground, disintegrating into dust as it landed on the ground.

Horohoro narrowed his eyes. It gave him a really bad feeling.

"Uh..." Ren said, tugging on Horohoro's sleeve.

"Yeah?"

Ren gestured with his shoulder at the presence in front of them. It was Hao alright, looking very pleased with himself indeed. Yoh instantly tensed, and Horohoro moved himself ever-so-slightly in front of Ren.

The fire shaman was smiling in a sickening manner. "So...how did you like the surprise, hmm?"

Yoh lost control of himself at that moment.

"WHY!?" he screamed, launching himself at his brother before anyone could stop him. "Why, Hao!? Why!? Why did you kill them? They did nothing to you to deserve it!"

"Yoh, no!" Horohoro yelled, panicking. Who knows what Hao could do in his current state. Yoh was no match for him, and he himself certainly was not, either. He looked around frantically. Lyzerg and Choclove...where were they?

Hao had obviously been reading his thoughts again. "Ah, worrying about your other buddies, are you? Let me assure you that you have nothing to fear. You won't be seeing them again until their funerals...that is, _if_ you can find their rotting corpses."

Enraged, crazy with fury, Yoh struck blindly at Hao, screaming incoherently and cursing in a manner that would have made his parents ashamed of him.

With a single movement, Hao sent Yoh crumpling to the floor. His knees buckled, and Horohoro and Ren watched with wide eyes as he seemed to collapse to the floor in slow motion. Painfully similar to the leaf Horohoro had just seen.

Yoh's eyes were wide as his hands flew to his stomach, trying to hold the gaping wound that had now appeared. Blood trickled from between his thin intertwined fingers, slowly turning into a river.

"YOH!" Horohoro screamed. He started towards him, but Yoh held out his hand in a stopping gesture.

"No, Horo..." he panted through gritted teeth. "Don't try to save me. You've got to take Ren...and get out of here...hurry..."

"No!" the Ainu insisted. "I'm not going to leave you here!"

"He's right...Yoh-kun," Ren agreed. "We can't just...just leave..."

"Yes, you can. Just go."

Hao smirked. In his hand he held a large, smooth, bloodstained blade. Heavens knows where he got that. "You're so useless, Usui. He has no hope. I've damaged several vital organs."

Horohoro watched in horror as Yoh's eyes closed, never to open again. He hated to believe it, but he knew that Hao spoke the truth. Yet another murder.

Hao stepped forward. "You're next, Tao. Usui, you can watch while I do away with him slowly and painfully yet again. You can listen to his screams, and you'll be knowing all the while that there's nothing you can do to save him."

"No..." Horohoro whispered. "I won't let you..."

He grabbed Ren's hand tightly.

"Come on," he muttered, starting at a run, leading the Chinese boy with him. "We've gotta run. Fast."

* * *

Author's Note: In case you haven't noticed, my reference to leaves was sort of like a metaphor to Yoh's death. After all, the word _yoh_ in Japanese does mean "leaf." 


	19. Against Hao

Author's Note: Gasp! It's the second-to-last chapter! Oh, boo-hoo. I aplogize if this chapter is sickeningly sappy, corny, and sentimental.

* * *

There were times when Horohoro was glad he was farely athletic. This was one of those times. 

He ran as fast as he could, leading Ren with him by the hand. He didn't stop running until he was totally out of the campsite, and they were dashing through a forest.

What bothered him the most was that Hao was making no effort to go after them. What was the psychopath thinking? He hoped they wouldn't have to find out.

The Ainu kept running. He could see a freeway overpass on the side of the mountain. It couldn't have been much more than a mile away. They had to get there, it was the only way they'd ever reach safety.

He stumbled, sliding down a slope. He felt his hand lose its grip on Ren's as he slid painfully over bumps, rocks, crags, and tree roots. He heard the Chinese boy yelp as he tumbled down the incline.

At last, he stopped at the bottom of the slope. The freeway was still a long distance off. If they hurried, they might still be able to make it.

"Ren?" he called. "Ren?" Are you alright?"

"Y...yes...Where are you, Horohoro?"

The Ainu crawled shakily to his feet. His face, arms, and legs were littered with scratches and cuts from gravel and branches. He wiped his dirt-stained hands on his pants and unsteadily made his way towards Ren, head still spinning.

There was a crash from overhead. Horohoro looked up, his eyes widening.

So this was what Hao had in mind.

The Spirit of Fire.

Tree branches, leaves, and debris rained down upon them. Horohoro leaped through the air, flinging himself on top of Ren in an effort to shield his frail body with his own.

"Ah. I've found you two," Hao announced smugly.

Horohoro stood, pulling Ren up. "Leave us alone, Hao," he demanded, though he highly doubted his words would be obeyed.

The Spirit of Fire swung its huge arm, knocking down more trees and branches. The earth felt like it was shaking, and Horohoro felt himself being seperated from Ren yet again.

"Now, as I promised," Hao's voice rang in a thin, amused tone through the forest. "Why don't you just sit back and enjoy the show, hmm, you Ainu brat?"

The Spirit of Fire's arm descended yet again, this time towards Ren's prone form on the forest floor. The Chinese boy squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for impact.

"NO!" Horohoro screamed at the top of his lungs. "REN!"

As he whipped out his ikupasuy, he felt like a hypocrite, but he didn't care. He leaped to Ren's defense, holding out the prayer stick, creating a solid barrier of ice in front of them. The Spirit's massive arm glanced off the ice with a loud clang.

"H...Horohoro?" Ren stammered.

"Ren..." Horohoro said quickly. "I want you to listen closely to me."

The boy nodded.

Horohoro licked his dry lips nervously. "I've only got enough furyoku to cover you for a short time. While I'm doing that...I want you to run. Run and never look back. Go all the way to that freeway and hitch a ride. Don't you dare stop until you're miles away where it's safe, you hear me?"

Ren's eyes widened. "No...I...I can't, Horohoro. Don't make me do this...I...I don't want to leave you here to die..."

"Please," Horohoro begged, desperate. "Ren, don't think about me. Please, I'm telling you, just run."

"Horohoro..."

"GO!" the Ainu screamed as the Spirit of Fire's arm came down again, making a crack in the ice. "I can't last much longer. Please, Ren, please...I'm begging you." Tears were steaming from his eyes. "Ren...I love you."

Ren was crying too. "I...I'm sorry..." he sobbed as he turned away. "Horohoro...I...I love you too..." And then he ran. He ran as fast as he could, the tears pouring from his golden eyes like a storm that would never stop.

He kept running until he finally reached the freeway. He looked left and right. Cars whizzed past. Determined, Ren decided he wasn't going to leave. He was going to get help.

He waved his arms, screaming as loud as he could.

"Please!" he screamed. "Somebody, please! Please help us...please!"

It seemed like an eternity passed by, and not a single car stopped. Ren was getting desperate. As a police car approached, he had no choice. He flung himself into the middle of the street, holding his arms out and squeezing his eyes shut.

The car screeched to a stop right before it was about to hit him. Breathing in relief, Ren ran around the side of the car to address the policeman of the situation.

Meanwhile, Horohoro couldn't hold himself up anymore. He was entirely out of furyoku, his ice barrier was gone. He felt his head spinning, like he was going to pass out.

He felt a pair of thin arms wrap themselves around him, and he felt tears dripping onto his face. A voice was calling to him.

"Ren?" he murmured. "Didn't I tell you to run?"

He heard sirens, shouts, and a loud commotion.

"Horohoro...please...please hang in there..."

And then everything was dark.

* * *

Author's Note: Mwahaha! Cliffhanger! I end the chapter here! The final installment will come soon. 


	20. Always Take Care of You

Author's Note: Is it true? Yes, it is! This is the FINAL CHAPTER of _Take Care of You_. In that respect, this chapter will be a little longer. But fear not, my "fans," I will write a sequel in the (very) near future. See the bottom of the chapter for details on that.

Thanks for all who reviewed.

* * *

Horohoro opened his eyes. Everything was blurry, fuzzy and merged together in random unclear blobs. He blinked again to gain focus of his vision, and slowly, the outline of a person became visible. 

"Ren?" he muttered. "Is this heaven? Shit, Ren. I'm sorry, if I had done better maybe you wouldn't have died-"

"No," Ren said softly. "You're in the hospital...Horohoro."

The Ainu rubbed his eyes and realized that indeed, he was. "Oh," he chuckled. "So I am." He smiled, realizing that just a few days ago, _he_ would be the one watching over Ren, instead of being watched over _by_ Ren.

"Ren? Are you alright?"

Ren nodded. "I...I'm, fine." His hands moved towards his face, where Horohoro could see a bandage on his cheek. "It's just...just one small cut...and that's it." A smile appeared at his lips. "The doctor told me...that...that...that you should be able to leave the hospital today."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"So, what happened back there?" Horohoro inquired, curious.

"Hao got away," Ren said softly. "But at least...at least no one really got hurt...when the police came he just bolted. That was...I think...three days ago, Horohoro."

"Eh?" Horohoro said. "I've been unconcious for three days?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

He looked up, and he could see that Ren was blushing. "What's up?" he asked. "Your face is really red, you know."

"Oh, erm..." Ren stammered, casting his eyes down. "It's just that...that...you know...erm...about the other day..."

"You don't have to be shy," Horohoro laughed. "Just spill it, Ren. I don't mind."

"It's just that...I forgot to thank you...for three days ago. H-Horohoro...you saved my life. If...if you hadn't protected me and asked me to run, then...then...Hao would probably have killed me."

The Ainu grinned. "Aww...it was nothing Ren, but hey, that was real sweet of you."

Ren's blush darkened two shades, and Horohoro laughed. "By the way," he said, "I've gotta thank you, too."

"Why...?"

"You saved my life, too, Ren. I wanted you to run and get away, but you didn't listen to me. You're a brave guy, Ren. If you hadn't gotten help and came back to me...I also would have been as good as dead."

The Chinese boy looked away. "N-No...it wasn't me...it was the police that saved you..."

"Don't be so modest. You need to give yourself the credit you deserve." Horohoro reached out and took Ren's hand. "You know I love you, Ren. There's no need to be shy around me anymore. There really isn't."

"B-But...Horohoro..."

"It's alright. I know it's not yout nature to be like that, and it's okay. As long as I know that you love me too..."

Ren's blush was so red that his face looked quite like a tomato.

"...Then I won't worry about it. Deal?"

Ren nodded, smiling sheepishly. "O...Okay. Deal."

**----------x----------**

One Month Later.

"Oh, Horohoro...harder..."

"Like this...Ren?"

"Oh, Horohoro...yes, just like that...AAAAH!"

"Aw, crap, Ren? Are you okay?" Horohoro screeched, dropping the hammer. He sucked at all these hands-on building activities. "I hit your hand, didn't I?"

"Er...yeah."

"Sorry! You want me to kiss away the ouchie?"

"What..!? N-No thanks, Horohoro. Just do what you were doing before."

"I know, I know," the Ainu said quickly. "I've got to whack the nail harder."

"Yeah...y-you're not using enough strength...no offense...At this rate, we'll never get anything done..."

_Wham._

"There!" Horohoro said, triumphantly. "I did it!"

"Congratulations," Ren laughed. "You're a genius. You finally managed to build that rabbit hutch."

"Yep, I'm a genius alright!" the Ainu announced as he put four fat rabbits into the new hutch. "See? I'm naming that one Pirika, that one Yoh...and, erm...we can call that one over there Hao-Is-A-Bitch."

"Wh-what about the fourth one...?" Ren inquired.

Horohoro grinned. "That one's the cutest one. You know what I'm gonna name it?"

"What?"

"I'm naming it Ren."

The Chinese boy blinked. "Horohoro..."

"Yeah?" Horohoro replied.

"Th-That rabbit...erm, I think it's a female."

"Oh."

There was a long, akward silence.

"Oh well, Ren," the Ainu shrugged. "You're _uke_ anyways, so you're practically a girl."

"WH-WHAT!? Horohoro!"

"Just kidding. But it's true!"

Laughing, Horohoro put his arm around Ren's shoulder. "Don't you worry. Thay may have sounded rude, but Ren...I'll _always take care of you_."

**END**

* * *

Author's Note: As promised, here are the details for the sequel to get you all excited. (Hee-hee.)  
The sequel will be titled _Old Habits Die Hard_ and, here is a sneak peek of the summary, or what it will be around the lines of.  
_Horohoro and Ren finally find peace together, but when a certain enemy returns, Horohoro's old ways start returning and their lives may be shattered beyond repair. Sequel to Take Care of You._  
Bah. That sounded corny. Hopefully, the story will be better than the summary. I'll have the first chapter of it posted in a day or two. 


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